


I Know I'm Not Forgiven, But I Need a Place to Sleep

by liketreesinnovember



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s03e19 Sozin's Comet Part 2 The Old Masters, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Minor Sokka/Suki, Nightmares, POV Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Sharing a Bed, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28939167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketreesinnovember/pseuds/liketreesinnovember
Summary: Katara and Zuko share a bed (or rather, a bison.) Zutara, but can be read as gen.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 68





	I Know I'm Not Forgiven, But I Need a Place to Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> So take this night, wrap it around me like a sheet  
> I know I'm not forgiven, but I need a place to sleep  
> So take this night, and lay me down on the street  
> I know I'm not forgiven but I hope that I'll be given some peace
> 
> \- Black Lab, "This Night"

The sun had almost finished its downward path, and they still had not found Uncle. Zuko wasn't sure what thought troubled him the most, the idea that he would never see Uncle Iroh again, never get to tell him how sorry he was, how  _ stupid _ he had been, or the idea that he would soon have to face the one person who had faith in him even when he'd deserved none of it. 

He knew that Katara was anxious as well. Traveling without Aang, without any idea where he had gone, made them all nervous. And the comet was still approaching. He could feel it in his bones, itching under his skin, making his blood boil. The approach of night lessened that feeling a bit, but still he felt restless, so he decided the only thing to do was to make himself useful. He began pulling their sleeping supplies off of Appa and was about to unroll his sleeping mat when Katara touched his arm.

"It's warm tonight, so we'll sleep on Appa."

"Oh." Katara seemed fairly sure, so he supposed this was something they were used to. The night air had been colder as it blew through the empty halls of the Western Air Temple, but she was right about tonight. A light breeze tickled the leaves of the trees, and the temperature was pleasant, perfect for sleeping under the stars. It made him think of nights in Caldera in the springtime, and for the first time since he had joined the Avatar’s group, he felt a clear, sharp yearning for the home he had lost, found, and then left behind again. He only hoped that it would be worth it in the end, and as he was pondering, quickly decided that it was. Even if Uncle never forgave him, even if the rest of the Fire Nation hated him. He had faced death and held lightning in his hands, and he would die rather than look back.

Zuko watched as Sokka and Suki flopped onto the giant bison. Appa sniffed happily as they curled up beside each other on his back, nestling snugly into the thick fur. Toph promptly found her own space a slight ways away to erect her tent of earth, and disappeared inside. Zuko half-wished he could have done the same.

He was startled when Katara took his hand, aware that he'd been standing there for a bit too long. "Come on, it's okay," she said, and pulled him towards the bison.

He followed, his feet moving somewhat hesitantly. What if it tried to lick him again? He decided to try and steer clear of the large head, but he also did not want to get too near the feet, with their heavy, deadly-looking hooves. Katara was gently but surely guiding him towards the animal with no mind to his nervousness. As they approached, one of the great eyes opened, and Zuko tried to back away suddenly as the beast  _ huffed _ at him.

He remembered reading scrolls about the long-dead Air Nomads, how they bonded with their flying bison as children. There were statues in the long-abandoned temples, and faded tapestries depicting the deep connection between animal and man. Maybe if this one could talk, it could tell them where Aang was. Maybe it would eat him for trying to chase its master for so long.

"It's okay," Katara said again, and laid a hand in the thick fur. "See?"

Zuko did the same, brushing the bison's fur with his fingertips, amazed at how soft it felt. "Huh…"

The great muscles shifted under his touch, and he took another half-step back. Katara giggled. "Oh, come on, he likes you. Besides, he’s let you take the reins all this time that Aang’s been gone, hasn’t he?" Then she let go of his hand without warning and climbed onto the creature's back.

“That’s different,” Zuko protested, but Katara was already sitting atop Appa, looking down at him and grinning.

Zuko glared up at her, determined not to prove himself a coward, and followed her up. Once he was able to climb high enough upon the beast’s back, he sat down a few feet from where she was and saw that Katara was already laying down in the bed of thick fur, her back turned towards him. He watched her side rise and fall for a few moments as she shifted and settled, then turned away himself, settling down in the warm softness. It was better than sleeping on a sleeping roll, and sort of like laying on a blanket of thick furs - a living, breathing one. The heat from the animal provided an unusual sensation, and he could feel the movement of its great breath, and the rumble of it... _ purring _ ...which was weird, but not unpleasant. 

He turned towards the sky, gazing up at the moon and all the stars, so vast and numerous and bright, it was as if he were seeing them for the first time. Waterbenders worshipped the moon, he remembered, and had names for all the stars, too. Zuko wished he knew them. He glanced at Katara, with her back facing him, seemingly asleep, then looked away quickly. It didn’t feel right to watch her like that, so he turned towards the opposite side, but found himself comforted by the knowledge of her presence a few feet away as he felt his body and mind give in to exhaustion and he drifted off to sleep.

Katara woke to moonlight. She never woke up disoriented in the middle of the night, always alert and able to sense where the moon was above her. Katara had never felt alone at night. At the same time, the pull of the moon always made her feel as if she were the only person on earth, just her and the night sky, and the sea somewhere miles off. There were still several hours until dawn. What had woken her up, she realized, was a soft sound which she at first mistook for the cry of some animal, but then she realized what it was, that quiet whimpering.

Zuko’s body was turned away from her a few feet away, and he was murmuring something in his sleep. She couldn't hear what it was but the sound of his voice occasionally rose to a distressed whine, like that of a hurt child.

_ He is dreaming _ , she realized, as she watched him twitch and moan. The sounds he was making were pained, and without even noticing it she found herself inching closer, reaching out, and laying a hand on his arm.

His whole body went rigid the instant she touched him. He did not wake up, and she didn’t want to wake him, but she felt a sudden need to help him, to save him from whatever it was that haunted his sleep. He let out a definite sob and she began absently stroking his arm, like she would a small child. After a few minutes, she felt him relax, and he let out another muffled whimper, but this one was quieter. After a little while his cries began to fade and he seemed to settle down into uneventful sleep.

Katara turned on her back and gazed at the night sky, the stars above her like a blanket that she might be able to reach out and touch if only she stretched out her hand, and the small fire of Zuko beside her. She wondered if Aang was looking at the same stars right now.


End file.
